Trish Stratus looks back on WWE Hall of Fame induction.
Trish Stratus was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 by Stephanie McMahon. During her induction, Stratus announced that was was pregnant.
Appearing on The Green Zone, Trish was asked why she picked McMahon to induct her.
"Her and I went through a lot together. We went through the valet stuff together. I was a valet, she did a little of it, but it was a little when I crossed over and went into the Vince McMahon storyline. She was a big part of that. That was the transition from me standing up for myself finally as a character. She stood up for herself, she moved on, she slapped Vince McMahon. Now, she's the independent woman who can do this on her own and doesn't need a man. That was a very poignant moment and was part of that. She was the one encouraging me and championing the women doing stuff like that, even back then. She was in awe of my wrestling skills and I was barely green at that point. We had the big match together when it was my first major pay-per-view match, for her as well, we worked our butts off and a lot of people really talk about that match because they were like, 'it's going to be a catfight,' and we pulled out some crazy moves. Getting more credibility at the time we went out there. She was part of those major moments for me to transition out of (being a valet) and being taken seriously. She was kind of my sister. We were working side by side. We were in each other's inboxes every moment talking about what to do next and how we could make it better and 'let's get in the ring.' We shared that. It felt fitting.
"She shared a moment with me, I had just found out I was pregnant, and I first went into performance mode of, usually people come back from an ankle, I don't know if I can because I'm pregnant, should I not do it this year? They specifically picked me as ushering in the new era of the women, so it's a special spot. Stephanie called me, showing those concerns, and said, 'Listen, this is an amazing moment.' 'Are wrestling fans going to find it weird?' I literally said that. 'I'm not their hot bombshell, I'm pregnant.' She said, 'This is such a moment, why don't we make it a moment we can share with the WWE Universe, perhaps you can make your announcement there if you're comfortable.' 'Oh my God, that's so special.' To go out there, have my moment, be accepted into the Hall of Fame, and that night I announced I was pregnant. I said the line, 'By the way, coming this September, I'll be delivering a little Stratusfaction.' It was so cute. Fans were forever part of Baby Stratus being born soon and they were along for the journey. I felt like she had been part of so many transitional moments for me to get where I was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame."
Though Trish initially stepped away from wrestling in 2011, she returned to the ring in 2018 at the women's Royal Rumble. She would have a handful of matches in 2018 and 2019 before returning in 2023 for an extended run that culminated with a cage match against Becky Lynch.
Fans can find Trish's comments about the WWE-UFC merger by clicking here.
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